Discussion – Policy and Problem

Required Readings For this week, read the following articles and book chapters: Chapter 4, Evaluating Policy Proposals – Policy Analysis for Social Workers (Caputo, 2014) Chapter 5, Matching Policy Proposals to Problems – Policy Analysis for Social Workers (Caputo, 2014) Transforming Poverty-Related Policy with Intersectionality (Corus, Saatcioglu, Kaufman-Scarborough, Blocker, Upadhyaya, & Appau, 2016) Critical Thinking about Inequality: An Emerging Lens (Dill & Zambrana, 2009) Reference List: 1. Caputo, R.K. (2014). Policy analysis for social workers. SAGE. 2. Corus, C. Saatcioglu, B., Kaufman-Scarborough, C., Blocker, C.P., Upadhyaya, S, & Appau, S. (2016). Transforming poverty-related policy with intersectionality. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 35(2), 211-222. 3. Dill, B.T., & Zambrana, R.E. (2009). Critical thinking about inequality: An emerging lens. In B. Thorton Dill & R.E. Zambrana (Eds.), Emerging intersections: Race, class, and gender in theory, policy, and practice (pp. 1 21). Rutgers University Press. Purpose The goal of this discussion is to help you apply theoretical frameworks from Caputo (2014) to real-world policy analysis by critically evaluating how a specific public policy or program aligns with and addresses a chosen social problem. This exercise strengthens your ability to assess ideological assumptions, cultural contexts, and social justice implicationsskills essential for developing evidence-based policy recommendations and preparing for your upcoming policy brief analysis. Instructions Initial Post Caputo (2014) explores the importance of evaluating and matching policy proposals to social problems. To pragmatically apply the concepts and approaches offered by Caputo, you will: Identify a public policy or program that addresses the social problem you selected in Module 2. Consider the eligibility criteria of the policy or program by addressing the following questions: What ideological assumptions are driving the purported or stated link between the target beneficiaries of the program or policy? What does this tell us about the cultural and political environment in which the policy or program was originally adopted and about contemporary society? What change, if any, would you recommend to improve the merit of this policy to advance social justice? Your post should be grounded in the course materials and reference them as sources. Be sure to demonstrate critical and analytical thought as you discuss the prompts.